VFK History of Rockets Quest
Description Rockets, which are the means of propelling man into space, find their origins back in ancient times. The rockets of today are the product of thousands of years of accumulated technological discoveries and advancements from many different cultures. In addition, the theory behind the rocket engine is based on Newton's Laws of Motion. On today's quest, we will explore the history of rockets from the first primitive steam propelled "rockets" to today's scientific wonders. Prizes Questions 1. The first example known which demonstrated the principles of rocket propulsion was an early device designed by a Greek called Archytas. We know of this early "rocket scientist" from the writings of the Roman Aulus Gellius. The story of Archytas, a citizen of the city of Tarentum in what is now southern Italy, tells of Archytas entertaining and mystifying his fellow townsfolk using a wooden pigeon. He suspended the pigeon on wires and used escaping steam to propel the bird. Around what year did this entertaining experiment take place? * Approximately 200 B.C. * Approximately 300 B.C. * Approximately 400 B.C. * Approximately 500 B.C. 2. The next example of a rocket style jet engine occurred around 300 years later. A Greek, named "Hero of Alexandria", made a steam propelled device which is considered to be the first known steam engine. Hero attached a round ball on pipes over the top of a kettle of water. When the water was heated by a fire under the kettle it turned the water into steam. The steam passed through the pipes to the ball and out through two tubes placed on opposing sides of the ball. When the steam escaped through the L-shaped tubes, it made the ball rotate. Go to the crossroads, which are outside of your Colonial room and through your garden gate, and say a quote by Sir Isaac Newton, the father of modern science. Say: "No great discovery was ever made without a bold guess." 3. The concept of a rocket engine is simple. It is a jet engine that uses a propellant for its jet action. Rocket engines are considered to be reaction engines and generate their thrust according to Newton's Third Law of Motion. Rocket engines are self contained which makes them ideal for sending items into space, as they do not require any outside materials to create their jet action. After steam, the earliest form of jet propulsion was in the form of gunpowder. Gunpowder is a "low explosive" composed of a mixture of sulfur, charcoal and potassium nitrate. What is another name for potassium nitrate? * Sulphitation * Nitric acid * Trinitrotoluene * Saltpeter 4. Primitive rocket engine devices have occurred intermittently through history. The origins of the first rocket engines using gunpowder as a propellant date back to the first century in China. At this time, the first true rockets may have been accidental discoveries. The Chinese used gunpowder for explosions during religious festivals. It is thought that the gunpowder was added to hollow tubes of bamboo and thrown into fires where they would explode. It naturally follows that some of the bamboo tubes would be propelled out of the fire when they exploded giving rise to the concept of a rocket engine. Go to the inside of the Marshall's office in the Western Age, and say another quote by Sir Isaac Newton. Say his definition of "Tact," say: "the art of making a point without making an enemy." 5. In China, the people began to experiment with gun powder. By 1232, the Chinese used rockets against the Mongols at the battle of Kai-Keng. They used bamboo tubes filled with gunpowder. When the powder was lit, it would ignite and be exhausted out the open end of the tube, producing thrust. The tube was attached to an arrow, which gave it direction. The arrows may have had little impact as far as any physical damage they could inflict on the enemy, however as psychological warfare, they were impressive weapons. Having rockets light up the sky could be terrifying to people unfamiliar with them. What were these first rockets called? * Bazookas * Bamboo bombs * Arrows of Flying Fire * Torpedos 6. The Mongols started making their own rockets after the battle of Kai-Keng. It is believed they were responsible for spreading rockets to Europe. For the next two hundred years, several developments led to improvements on the original rocket. Roger Bacon improved gunpowder, thus increasing the range of rockets. Also, Jean Froissart discovered that you could achieve more accuracy in their direction by launching rockets through a tube. Froissart also developed a rocket powered torpedo which ran along the surface of the water, and would set the ships of enemies on fire upon impact. Go to the Medieval Blacksmith's shop and say another quote by Sir Isaac Newton. Say, "We build too many walls and not enough bridges." 7. The basis for all rockets that go into space today can be attributed to a discovery by a German fireworks maker, who invented the step rocket. This rocket was originally designed to lift fireworks up to greater heights. It included a large "initial stage" of the rocket and then a second stage that lit when the first stage was spent. This acted to send the fireworks up to higher altitudes than the single stage could reach on its own. This same concept was expanded to be the basis for all modern space rockets. What was the name of the fireworks maker? * Dieter Grau * Werner Von Braun * Erich W. Neubert * Johann Schmidlapp 8. One interesting old Chinese legend is about a Chinese official called Wan-Hu. This person, with the help of a number of assistants, developed a rocket-powered chair. On the chair, were two kites and 47 rockets. When Wan-Hu was preparing for his flight, he sat in the chair and told his assistants to light the rockets. The legend goes that when his assistants lit the rockets all at once, the moment was accompanied by a huge roaring sound and clouds of smoke. After the smoke dissipated, Wan-Hu, including his flying chair, were gone. If the legend had actually taken place, it is thought that what probably happened was that Wan-Hu and his chair were disintegrated by the blast of the rockets exploding. Go to the back of the Sydney Opera House, and say: "Fire Arrows were just as likely to explode as to fly." 9. The early use of rockets in Great Britain was primarily for weapons. The British learned of this use through fighting the East Indians, who used rockets against them in war. In Britain, Sir William Congreve developed the "Congreve" rocket. This rocket used gunpowder as a propellant. The "bombs bursting in air," in the "Star Spangled Banner," were Congreve rockets. Congreve made rockets that had what distinctive feature? * Small British flags * Parachute payloads * A metal case * A sixteen foot guidestick 10. Four people were primarily responsible for making the transition from the smaller rockets used by the British to larger more powerful rockets. These designers of the "Space Age" worked in various places around the world and they developed their ideas independently. These four people were Konstantin Tsiolkovsky in Russia, Wernher von Braun and Hermann Oberth in Germany, and Robert Goddard in the US. Go to the lobby of the Fourth of July Fireworks game in the Victorian Age, and finish one of the most famous quotes of Sir Isaac Newton, "If I have seen further than others," Say: "it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants." Answers 1. Approximately 400 B.C. 2. Go to the Crossroads and say, "No great discovery was ever made without a bold guess." 3. Saltpeter 4. Go to the inside of the U.S. Marshalls and say, "the art of making a point without making an enemy." 5. Arrows of Flying Fire 6. Go to the Medieval Blacksmith and say, "We build too many walls and not enough bridges." 7. Johann Schmidlapp 8. Go to the Sydney Opera House Back and say, "Fire Arrows were just as likely to explode as to fly." 9. A sixteen foot guidestick 10. Go to the 4th of July Fireworks Game and say, "it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants." Category:Quests